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Argyll and Bute

Health and Social Care Partnership

Chief Social Work Officer

Annual Report

2017/18

Alex Taylor


September 2018

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Foreword

Welcome to the annual Chief Social Work Officer report for the year 2017/18.

Each local authority in Scotland has a Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) and each CSWO is

required to produce an annual report of local activity. The production of the annual CSWO

report is covered by Scottish Government guidance, Role of the CSWO: Principles,

Requirements and Guidance (revised version issued in 2016). This report covers the delivery

of social work services within Argyll and Bute and is intended to support the governance and

accountability of the Social Work service.

The Argyll and Bute Social Work service is comprised of Adult Care, Children and Families and

Criminal Justice Social Work. The Social Work service sits within the Argyll and Bute Health

and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) which is set out in the integration scheme under the

provisions of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014. The integration scheme

transferred all the Argyll and Bute Council’s Social Work services to the Argyll and Bute HSCP

on the 1st April 2016.

The theme of this year’s report is change and how the Social Work service has steered its way

through the multiple challenges it has faced. Key to the direction of the Social Work service

are our core principles which have informed our journey.

These core principles include:

• involving service users / carers and the wider public in the development of quality care

services

• ensuring safe and effective services through appropriate staff support and training

• striving for continuous improvement with effective polices and processes in place

• ensuring accountability and management of risk

These principles run through this report and help evidence that the Argyll and Bute Social

Work service continues to meet the needs and expectations of the communities it serves.

Alex Taylor


September 2018

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Contents

1. Summary Reflections Page 4

2. Service Challenges, Developments & Improvements Page 7

3. Partnership Working & Governance Arrangements Page 22

4. Social Services Delivery Landscape Page 26

5. Resources & Finance Page 29

6. Service Quality and Performance 3

7. Delivery of Statutory Functions Page 51

8. Workforce Planning & Development Page 55

9. Conclusion Page 55

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1. Summary Reflections

It is likely that at some point in our lives either we, a member of our family or a close friend

will receive support, care or protection from the Social Work service. My starting point is

these are essential public services which we should all cherish, support and when necessary

hold to account.

Each day the Argyll and Bute Social Work service delivers support, care and protection to

some of our most vulnerable people. These services are wide ranging and include services

delivered directly through the HSCP and services which have been commissioned from

independent and private providers. The work of the Social Work service is complex and

conducted out of sight of the public often being poorly understood and on occasion

misrepresented. This report affords me the opportunity to shed some light on the role of the

Social Work service and it challenges.

The British Association of Social Work’s vision clearly articulates the purpose of the Social

Work service:

“Social Work is a practice based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social

change. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for

diversities are central to Social Work.”

The vision stresses the unique contribution the Social Work service makes to people’s lives

and to our communities. It is one of the few services delivered on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a

week, 52 weeks a year basis. For example, the Adult Service either directly delivers or

arranges essential support that allows many vulnerable people to remain in their own homes

when the alternative would be institutional care. The fact is this is not always low cost and

may entail risk and this is where the assessment and risk management skills of the Social Work

service come to the fore.

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In supporting, caring for and protecting vulnerable groups it is important to acknowledge that

much of the work that the Social Work service undertakes is in partnership with other

occupational and professional groups. The effectiveness of the Social Work service lies in its

capacity to work effectively within partnerships and where necessary to lead partners in

supporting, caring and protecting vulnerable groups. This is illustrated by the work of the

Children and Families Service which is the lead agency for Child Protection and Looked After

Children and for which our staff have expertise in child and family assessment, risk and care

management.

Likewise, the Criminal Justice Social Work Service works closely with Police Scotland, the

Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Prison Service amongst other partners.

Where appropriate the service diverts vulnerable groups from custodial to community

disposals to enable the underlying causes of the offending behaviours to be addressed and to

minimise the risk of future offending. To do this the Criminal Justice Social Work Service has

a suite of assessment and risk management tools which enable staff to effectively manage

high risk offenders and so protect our community from future harm.

This is a time of considerable change across all the public services including Social Work

services. The budgetary challenges have escalated this past year as the demands and

expectations placed upon Social Work services have continued to grow. In response the

Social Work service has initiated a number of service reviews which aim to combine service

improvement with the best use of all the available resources. The redesign of Social Work

services has begun and will involve change at all levels within the Social Work service. These

are without doubt times of significant change and the importance of communicating and

engaging with our staff, our partners and our communities cannot be over stated.

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The Social Work service plans strategically to ensure the right services are delivered to the

right people at their point of need both efficiently and effectively. Key to this is a well-trained

and supported Social Work service workforce who are located across the authority and

equipped to perform their duties. The recruitment and retention of staff is becoming

increasingly difficult and is now one of our biggest challenges. In Argyll and Bute our

workforce planning is addressing this through a “grow your own” programme and in working

closely with local colleges and training consortia. Once employed staff receive regular

supervision, performance review and development (PRD) combined with training and

development opportunities.

The formation of the Argyll and Bute HSCP has brought an opportunity for Health and Social

Work services to jointly consider the Highland Quality Approach (HQA) and Performance

Improvement Model (PIM) in support of an outcomes-focussed approach to service

development and delivery. HQA applies improvement methodology to support change,

reduce duplication and implement LEAN working. Likewise, the PIM model continues to be

used by the Care Inspectorate to evaluate how effective Social Work services are in delivering

improved outcomes for adults, children and families.

The integration of health and social care services within Argyll and Bute and the alignment of

the corresponding organisational and governance structures remains work in progress and an

ongoing challenge. The challenge is all the greater when the HSCP continues to operate two

separate systems for human resources, finance and IT. Over the past year the Integration

Joint Board (IJB) through the instrument of the Clinical and Care Governance Committee has

made progress in extending its oversight to include Adult Care, Children and Families and

Criminal Justice.

In conclusion, if the Argyll and Bute Social Work service has a unique selling point it is the

sheer dedication, skilfulness and creativity of our staff and it is to their credit that we have

continued to deliver improvement throughout this period of change.

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2. Service Challenges, Developments & Improvements

Adult Care

An overview

Similar to other Health and Social Care Partnerships, Argyll & Bute faces pressures of

demographic change and financial constraints, resulting in pressure on services throughout

the health and social care system. Effects of these pressures include demand on services,

readmission to hospital, delayed discharge, and extended stays.

Specific recruitment and delivery challenges are present, largely because of Argyll & Bute’s

geography. These relate particularly to the delivery of care at home, one consequence being

that services originally intended to provide short term input are providing longer term care

which reduces their capacity.

Work across the partnership to date to address these challenges has focussed on the

development of neighbourhood-based delivery models. Considerations of these models has

identified opportunities around the development of a re-ablement focussed Health and Care

Support Worker role. Possible challenges in relation to maintaining professional identity and

addressing support and supervision requirements for individual staff members have been

identified.

Our work has benefitted from pilot activity both locally and elsewhere. NHS Scotland is

operating a pilot of the Buurtzorg principles (a self-managing and joined up neighbourhood

model) with NHS Highland. Similarly process improvement work in Mid-Argyll has tested

some of the approaches needed to introduce a single point for access to services.

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Argyll & Bute have explored workforce planning tools, including the six-step model for

workforce change, and the use of system dynamics approaches for the development and

monitoring of workforce change plans. However, these tools require a shared sense of

direction before their benefits can be maximised.

The partnership’s strategic plan makes clear that improvements with service delivery will be

locally owned, planned and delivered. The changes proposed are intended to assist services

to become more accessible, flexible, and responsive to clients’ needs and to drive a cultural

shift towards managing teams in a more integrated way. In the short term the localities have

expressed an immediate need to develop multi-disciplinary Community Teams and ‘Single

Point of Access’ to the services they offer. This should better integrate services from the point

of view of the customer, while ensuring sufficient flexibility is available to meet the needs of

individual agencies.

The consequences of work to date are proposals for conceptually simple changes to the way

services are presently organised and operated.

These can be summarised to be:

Single point of access to Health and Social Care Partnership Community Services

operating unique to each locality, by means of a single phone number replacing routes

managed by individual disciplines (but not replacing existing referral / direct pathways

from GP’s for example)

Integrated working, via frequent multi-disciplinary discussion and review to ensure

cases are managed in coordinated ways under the care of an appropriate lead

professional

Greater focus on the opportunities for independence from service delivery, supported

by improved links to third sector support provision and the offer of rapid response and

re-ablement approaches.

Introduction of a consolidated route by which to obtain services, minimising

duplication of administrative activity and ensuring that people are supported to get to

the right service at the right time.

Improved collaborative working to ensure the needs of people requiring a multi-

disciplinary approach are met in a coordinated way.

Identifying and addressing bottlenecks to ensure that Rapid Response and Re-

ablement Provision offer people the best chance of recovery and independence

The effective delivery of change will require continued focus, resilience and a robust strategy

delivered through careful planning and sensitive implementation to achieve improved

outcomes for service users, within the context of local and national policy objectives and

legislation.

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Care at Home

Whilst we have been active in re-designing older people’s services we will need to continue

to do so in order to prepare for the pressures of demographic change and the continued

public expectation for improvement in Adult Care services and care at home. Our ability to

recruit staff into home care services in particular presents a significant challenge for the

Health and Social Care Partnership, and those providers we commission from.

Given some of the challenges described above, Argyll and Bute recently invested in ten Just

Checking Daily Living Systems, which provide evidence of a person’s abilities by combining

both movement and activity monitoring. This initiative has already realised a reduction in

care hours and freeing up home care support capacity to assist with delayed discharge

pressures from hospital. It is anticipated if the project is rolled out to all areas in Argyll and

Bute that additional resource savings could be generated across all areas.

The features of Just Checking allow the system to:

Inform assessment at home

Determine and evidence the most appropriate support/outcome

Provide evidence of progress during re-ablement

Help people live more independently

Reduce hospital admissions

Evidence the most appropriate technology required

Reassure family

Reduced number of bed days for hospital discharge

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Care Homes

The provision of the Care Homes, whether it is in-house or in partnership with independent

providers and/or Housing Associations requires ongoing assessment and engagement.

Nationally we know that recruitment and retention of staff in care homes is a significant

challenge. Also, it is recognised that the number of older people is set to rise significantly in

the coming years; with the steepest rises being in the over 75 year age group. 10.7% of the

current population is aged 75 and over. Increasing demand for adapted properties as

more older people are enabled to stay at home is likely to require longer-term

sustainable solutions for high level needs (24-hour care). Within the Argyll and Bute

Partnership we also recognise the need to ensure the quality of the service being provided

in care homes is kept under review, especially in view of the reduced capacity of care homes

locally. Given the challenges the Partnership has developed specific meetings across Argyll

and Bute to help assess and review the quality of care being delivered across our care

homes. Our challenges are providing suitable housing and sustainable 24 hour care and

care at home due to our workforce difficulties. A health and social care housing needs

assessment has been completed to support the application of a Care and Nursing Home

Modelling Tool to better assess and project future need and the development of a new

model of care.

Delayed Discharge

Delayed discharges remain a key challenge across the partnership. This is due primarily to the

availability of care at home or care home placement, however issues around Adults with

Incapacity also has an impact on the delays.

All localities are working towards an integrated community team approach to manage this by

implementing the Argyll and Bute Community Standards for every team. These include, single

point of access, multi-disciplinary triage, lead professional, re-ablement, community

medication support, anticipatory approaches with a focus on avoiding unnecessary

admissions, generic workforce skill set, advanced nursing workforce within the teams and a

self-management approach to care and assessment.

All inpatient units in Argyll and Bute implement the 6 essential actions of unscheduled care

to ensure a timely patient pathway through the service. This ensures a strong community pull

through of all inpatients. This essentially focuses on safe, person centred, effective care

delivered to every patient, every time without unnecessary waits, delays and duplication.

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Adult Protection

Adult Support and Protection (ASP) remains a key priority and under integration Argyll and

Bute HSCP has improved the continuity of care and outcomes for service users, as there is a

greater sharing of knowledge and experience in this area. Already there is evidence that

professionals are working in a more joined up way, exchanging information which they

individually hold to protect those who are most vulnerable. There is also evidence that we

are reaching more people by delivering training to front line services including third sector

agencies, who have responded well to the increased knowledge they have gained. In the past

we have focused on raising awareness of financial harm and this emphasis as well as wider

issues of harm continue to heightened and explored as part of quarterly quality assurance

group meetings which in turn helps to ensure ASP standards are maintained within care

homes across Argyll and Bute.

The Adult Support and Protection Committee has developed and is implementing an

overarching strategic plan which provides a framework for consistency in promoting and

delivering the adult protection agenda across Argyll and Bute. Key priorities are further

supported through local ASP operational groups lead by local area managers which focus on

delivery outcomes and standards ranging from staff induction/training; referral

discussions/decision making; use of chronologies; recording of risk assessments; self-

evaluation and involvement of advocacy. Strategic oversight sits with the Chief Officer Group

for Public Protection (COG PP) which has adopted an expanded and more joined up approach

to public protection generally.

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Self-Directed Support

Self-Directed Support (SDS) aims to give people full opportunity to take control of their

support and their lives. It is for people of all ages, who after assessment with the HSCP, are

eligible for social care and support. SDS is delivered in line with Scottish Government

legislation to ensure everyone, including people who require social care are:

Respected

Treated with fairness

Able as possible, to enjoy the same Freedoms as everyone else

Able confident that their Safety is a priority

Able to live with as much Independence as possible

SDS gives people a choice of 4 options for how much control they wish to take over how their

support is organised, delivered and managed:

Option One the supported person (or a relative) take the money as a direct payment

and use it to employ ‘personal assistants,’ a support organisation or for equipment

and services that helps them meet their needs and outcomes.

Option Two either the HSCP or another appropriate organisation holds the money but

the supported person (or their relative) is in charge of how it is spent in line with their

support plan.

Option Three the HSCP manages the money and support for the person.

Option Four A mixture of the other three options

In Argyll and Bute it is often a challenge to deliver the full range of choices for everyone

because, for example, there are not care providing services in all communities. This means

that we have to work together to find the best possible solution for people to meet their

social care needs and outcomes.

The HSCP has worked closely with third sector services to enable people to realise the full

potential of SDS. As part of our collaborative approach, we have a responsibility to tell people

about independent support, information and advice services specifically for SDS and we have

partnered with the third sector in Argyll and Bute in 2017-2018 Community Contacts (a Carr

Gomm Project).

The support offered has included:

Raising awareness of SDS in communities

Assisting people to make decisions about their SDS options

Supporting people to speak up for themselves when they have concerns about their

assessment or SDS

Ensuring the human rights based values and principles are realised

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Supporting people to develop ‘personal outcomes’ (goals for important things in life)

and to share these as part of their SDS assessment and ongoing plans.

Supporting people to manage a direct payment; to develop plans for how they wish

to use their payment (in line with agreements with the HSCP), to recruit and employ

personal assistants for social care’ and to look after the money.

Working with the HSCP to ensure our SDS information resources are easy to read and

access.

Mental Health

Within Scotland it is recognised that mental health and wellbeing is a significant challenge

and that good mental health is important and required to support the population of Scotland

(Scottish Government Health Directorates, 2018). In response to this challenge the Scottish

Government launched the ten year Mental Health Strategy and vision for Scotland in 2017.

Moving forward the strategy supports a stronger emphasis on prevention, earlier intervention

and improved partnership working.

Locally, Argyll and Bute HSCP Community Mental Health Teams have been evolving

consistently with national drivers. For instance, across each locality practitioners are

embedded within each adult team, this includes nursing, psychological therapy, occupational

therapy, medical and social work staff. With the exception of Helensburgh and Lomond

where mental health care is provided under service level agreement with NHS Greater

Glasgow and Clyde. This has resulted in more patients being cared for within the community

and the localities of Argyll and Bute HSCP. It is noted that the balance of care has shifted

towards supporting more people to live in their community.

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Since the enhancement of the Community Mental Health Teams and the establishment of

psychological therapies provision within the teams, there has been the ability to offer over

10,000 hours of psychological therapy. It is noted that a large majority of the referrals to the

CMHS relate to mild/moderate mental ill health (anxiety/depression). During 2017 it was

evident that there is an increase in the demand for mental health care within the localities,

the Community Hospitals and Mental Health Teams. There are eight times more patients

cared for within the Community than admitted to In-patient services in Argyll and Bute.

Practice varies within each locality of Argyll and Bute HSCP in respect of referral criteria,

prescribing practices, pathways and delivery of care, use of care programme approach,

workforce, training and development, assessment and recording of care within care records.

However, within Argyll and Bute HSCP the Strategic Plan (2016-2019) the key emphasis is to

continue to build on the need for mental health services to:

Meet the increased demand for the provision of support for mental health

“clients within community settings; ensure we have a range of appropriate accommodation options for mental health service users, with different levels of severity and degrees of difficulty, and varying care and support needs”.

Argyll and Bute HSCP Strategic Plan (2016-2019)

Autism

Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership recognise the importance of supporting

people living in Argyll and Bute with autism and associated life skill disorders. The Argyll and

Bute Strategy for Autism was launched in February 2017 in conjuction with local and national

partners. The Autism Implementation Plan has focussed on the four national outcomes which

have set the direction of travel for the next five years.

More recently the Argyll and Bute Autism Strategy Group has been tasked to review the

delivery and progress of the Implementation Plan. One area of progress has been the adult

diagnostic and signposting service, for which a new Autism practitioner post is currently being

advertised. This post will work alongside the existing co-ordinator and consultant

psychiatrists. It is anticipated this post will maximise the availability of appointments and

ensure diagnosis and signposting is at an optimum across Argyll and Bute.

Work is also in train with regard to the repatriation of individuals who are currently placed

outwith Argyll and Bute. This is not without its challenges as it brings with it the requirement

for additional specialist resources and provision, however, we remain committed to exploring

and developing services to meet these identified needs. To this end we are working with

housing and third sector partners including Scottish Autism and Cornerstone to support this

work. An example of this is the development of an Autism Toolbox which is being used in

schools and our ongoing work with Cornerstone on a 10-bed resource in Garelochhead. Work

is also underway with Scottish Autism to develop a resource in Helensburgh.

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Carers

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force on 1st April 2018 introducing new rights for

unpaid carers and new delegated duties which have been transferred from Argyll and Bute

Council and NHS Highland to the Health and Social Care Partnership. The new Act formalises

the need for unpaid carers to be recognised and supported in continuing in their caring role

as long as they wish to do so and to have a life alongside their caring role. The Act is in many

ways an acknowledgement of the substantial amount of support unpaid carers provided

throughout Scotland.

In the past a carer was identified as someone who provided a substantial amount of care.

With the implementation of the Act a carer is now defined as someone who provides care no

matter how much or little they provide. To receive support from statutory services (e.g.

replacement care or direct support to maintain a life alongside their caring role) a carer must

meet the eligibility criteria as set by the HSCP. This differs from the eligibility criteria set by

the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). All carers who reside in Argyll and Bute will be

able to access some form of support no matter if they meet eligibility criteria or not. Access

to services such as information and advice from local councils and local carer support

services/Carers Centres. Carers may also be offered support such as breaks from caring via a

variety of resources. Significantly, health staff are now required to identify carers and take

account of their views in making decisions relating to hospital discharge in relation to the

cared for person. A five year Carers Strategy is presently being jointly prepared with our

partners.

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Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP)

Within Argyll and Bute the Alcohol and Drug Partnership works in partnership to prevent and

support recovery from the harmful use of alcohol and drugs. Specifically, Argyll and Bute

Addiction Team (ABAT) comprising Social Workers, Nurses and a Psychiatrist provides

specialist addiction services from bases in Dunoon, Rothesay, Helensburgh, Oban (outreach

to Mull and Tiree), Lochgilphead and Campbeltown (outreach to Islay).

Services include Assessment, Recovery Planning, Harm Reduction, Sexual Health Information,

Blood Borne Virus Information and Testing, Opioid Replacement Therapy and Naloxone

Training and Supply. Referral is via another professional e.g. GP, Social Worker etc. In

addition, ADDACTION is delivering services across Argyll and Bute to those with a substance

use issue, this is a commissioned service from the Alcohol and Drug Partnership. ADDACTION

similarly offers one to one, group work, peer support, harm reduction advice, needle

exchange service, DTTO (Drug Treatment and Testing Orders for the courts) and

advice/support to relatives and family members.

Children & Families

Getting it Right for Every Child

The Children and Young People’s (Scotland) Act 2014 is one of the most significant pieces of

children’s legislation in recent years. The 2014 Act offers us the opportunity to further

transform and consolidate our services through the application of the National Practice Model

(GIRFEC). The model assists us in better supporting our children, our young people and their

families through the identification of problems at an early stage rather than waiting until a

situation reaches crisis point.

The Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach is about putting the best interests of

children and young people at the heart of services and ensuring everyone works together so

that each child has the best possible start in life. This approach incorporates the Named

Person and Lead Professional roles and the Child’s planning process, all of which are fully

embedded across Argyll and Bute. Strong leadership across partner agencies has and will

continue to ensure the success of GIRFEC. As in all matters, success requires a well-trained

and confident staff group which our service improvement work will further develop.

The Children and Young People’s Service Plan 2017 - 20 has had its first Annual Review (2018)

and highlights overall we have made good progress in achieving a number of outcomes. The

plan is being delivered through our multi-agency locality arrangements and will require

ongoing close monitoring and support from the Performance and Quality Assurance (PQA)

group. Following the Supreme Court ruling, the role of the Named Person is now subject to

the passage of The Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill which will

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clarify the sharing of information. The implementation of the General Data Protection

Regulations (GDPR) in April 2018 has further clouded the issue of information sharing

between professionals. In response to this the Chief Officer Group for Public Protection

issued a letter to all staff across the public protection agencies clarifying the position. It is,

however, clear we will need to ensure our staff are appropriately trained and supported to

continue to work to the National Practice Model.

Corporate Parenting

The Argyll and Bute Corporate Parenting Board is the instrument through which our

Corporate Parents work together to improve outcomes for our Looked After Children and

Young People. Corporate Parenting and the current duties of Corporate Parents can be traced

back to the publications Extraordinary Lives (2006), We Can and Must Do Better (2007), These

are our Bairns (2008) and more recently the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act

2014. Corporate Parents now have a legal duty to work together to combat the stigma and

redress the numerous disadvantages our care experienced children and young people face in

life. In Argyll and Bute we aim to do this by bringing our key improvement priorities together

within our Corporate Parenting Plan.

Central to this are:

Engagement and Participation

Supporting Vulnerable Children and their Families

Health and Wellbeing

Attainment and Achievement

Housing and Accommodation

Youth and Criminal Justice

Permanence

Leadership

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The Corporate Parenting Board has made good progress across all our priority areas this year.

Central to the work of the Corporate Parenting Board is the engagement and participation of

our care experienced children and young people. To assist us in improving these

arrangements we have been accepted by the Life Changes Trust (LCT) and are now completing

our first year of a three year programme. The Argyll and Bute Corporate Parents have

adopted the “Family Firm” approach to recruitment and two LCT Participation Assistants will

be recruited under the Modern Apprenticeship scheme from within our cohort of care

experienced young people.

Looked After Children

Whilst all of our Children’s Houses are presently graded 5 (Very Good) we will continue to

strive for improvement and excellence. Likewise, whilst our Adoption and Fostering services

are also graded 5 (with one 4) there remains room for improvement in our support to

adopters and our engagement with our children and young people. Much progress has also

been made and remains to be made with regard to securing our children’s futures once they

are Looked After and Accommodated (LAAC). Over the past year we have worked closely

with the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS) and have joined

the Permanence and Care Excellence (PACE) programme which we are piloting in the

Helensburgh and Lomond Locality. The programme uses data analysis to examine the care

pathway and applies improvement methodology to streamline and refine the journey to

permanence and thereby improve individual outcomes. The staff training and development

provided by PACE has been excellent and has greatly improved our understanding of the

pathway. As a result our staff feel better equipped and more confident to pursue

permanence when it is indicated.

Through and Aftercare

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 has provided an ambition and a

framework with which we can continue to drive improvement. The Through and Aftercare

service is delivered through a single team that is dispersed across Argyll and Bute. In response

to the 2014 Act the team is now led by a social work Practice Lead who is supported by 2

Social Workers and a small team of Through and Aftercare workers. Argyll and Bute has

adopted the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant which supports the implementation of Part 10

the 2014 Act. This means supporting the 'aftercare' (advice, guidance and assistance) of care

leavers in transitioning into adulthood. The Covenant will also support our Corporate Parents

in delivering the changes needed to bring improvement and consistency to the care of our

young people. It offers clear guidance (Agenda for Change Model) on how to meet the needs

of young people who are often disadvantaged as a result of their care experiences.

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This entitlement to support is now well understood in Argyll and Bute and opportunities are

available for all our care experienced children and young people requiring such support up to

their 26th birthday. Outcomes for our care experienced young people are improving and this

is illustrated by 100% of our care leavers now being offered appropriate housing at the point

of transition.

Child Protection

The past year (2017/ 18) has been challenging for the Child Protection Committee (CPC) which

has seen the embedding of the Health and Social Care Partnership. This has been supported

within Children’s Services through the use of the GIRFEC National Practice Model which has

facilitated the integration of operational services. Improvements in early help have been

achieved through the organisational re-alignment of services within the HSCP. For example,

wherever possible social work and health staff are being co-located. During this period there

have been significant staff and management changes across partner agencies which has been

reflected in the membership of the Chief Officer Group for Public Protection (COG PP) the

CPC. Throughout the year the CPC has continued to focus on its core functions and we have

had a number of notable successes in embedding improvements in our identification and

initial response to children at risk. We have also strengthened our focus on improving

planning for children at risk and in our use of chronologies. However, we still need to improve

the outcomes for our vulnerable children, particularly those affected by neglect and parental

mental health. We have focused on developing social work practice through our child

protection training and development strategy, improving the quality of our risk assessment

and planning for children at risk and in developing our confidence in the use of the national

risk assessment toolkit, the neglect toolkit and in embedding a stronger and more consistent

approach to supporting those who self-harm or who are at risk of suicide.

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Criminal Justice Social Work

During 2017/18 Community Justice Scotland (CJS) was launched by the Scottish Government

along with a National Strategy for Community Justice, a National Outcomes Performance and

Improvement framework and more recently a new Justice Strategy (Justice in Scotland). The

aim of CJS is to bring partner agencies together using the Community Planning Partnership

framework to deliver innovation and partnership working to manage crime and its impact on

society. Criminal Justice Social Work (CJSW) has contributed to the Community Justice

Outcome Improvement Plan 2018/19 along with other partners and will be involved in

delivering these outcomes.

The CJSW service is no longer delivered within a partnership with East and West

Dunbartonshire Councils but some joint working continues via Service Level Agreements. Due

to the dissolution of the Partnership, CJSW services in Argyll and Bute are undergoing a period

of change in terms of staff structure and service delivery. The redesign of the CJSW service

will be ongoing throughout 2018 and will ensure services are developed to meet current and

future requirements. The CJSW service’s core functions are to provide statutory supervision

to offenders via Community Payback Orders (CPO) and assist community reintegration and

rehabilitation via post release supervision, assessment reports to Court and Parole Boards

and participate in the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). The service

works with other agencies, both within the HSCP and beyond, including Police Scotland, the

Scottish Prison Service, NHS Highland and Greater Glasgow and Clyde and a range of third

sector providers.

Within Argyll and Bute there is a disproportionately high number of Multi Agency Public

Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) cases being managed by the CJSW Service and partner

agencies. In March 2018, 13 out of the 50 high risk cases nationally were being managed

within our services. This poses a challenge for both CJSW and our key statutory partners,

housing and Police Scotland due to the resource intensive nature of this work. The reasons

for this are complex and are likely to be due to a number of factors. One factor is the absence

of nationally accredited treatment programmes suitable for use in our dispersed and rural

communities where group work programmes are not practical. We are currently training our

CJSW staff in the delivery of the Moving Forward Making Changes (MFMC) programme which

will address this.

21

CJSW service are a key partner in Argyll and Bute’s Violence Against Women Partnership. The

service plays a small but vital role in managing and reducing the risks that perpetrators of

domestic abuse pose to our communities. Key developments are ongoing in relation to this

work central to which is the appointment of a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference

(MARAC) co-ordinator who will work across Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire to

safeguard victims of domestic abuse and oversee the implementation of an accredited

perpetrator intervention programme which will be available to the Courts at the point of

sentence as a requirement of a Community Payback Order. These and other developmental

initiatives form part of the CJSW service redesign which will also take cognisance of the

extension of the presumption against short sentences and the Management of Offenders

(Scotland) Bill which will ensure our CJSW service has the appropriate staffing levels, skills and

knowledge to deliver out statutory functions.

Unpaid Work

The Community Payback Order (CPO) requirement for unpaid work continues to be offered

by CJSW and services have been developed to meet the needs of offenders within the

available resources. Consultation and agreement with local communities and organisations

continues with good publicity, projects and placements being realised. An example of the

contribution that Unpaid Work can make to our communities can be illustrated by the

Blairmore projects. In this instance the work undertaken contributed to Blairmore being

awarded a Gold standard from Beautiful Scotland and the winner of the Coastal Village

category. A number of service users have continued to be involved with the projects once

they have completed their unpaid work, with some having gained employment as a result.

The work they have been involved in includes gardening, cooking, and retail shop work,

computing, archiving and recycling.

22

3. Partnership Working, Governance and Accountability

The Role of the Chief Social Work Officer

The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 (the 1968 Act) requires local authorities to appoint a

single Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) for the purposes of listed social work functions. The

Public Bodies (joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 made provision for the CSWO to undertake

this role for all delegated Social Work services within the integration scheme. One of the key

duties of the CSWO is to ensure the provision of appropriate professional advice to the Argyll

and Bute Integration Joint Board (IJB), the Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland.

“The CSWO should assist local authorities and their partners in understanding the complexities and cross-cutting nature of social work service delivery - including in relation to particular issues such as corporate parenting, child protection, adult protection and the management of high risk offenders - and also the key role social work plays in contributing to the achievement of a wide range of national and local outcomes. The CSWO also has a contribution to make in supporting overall performance improvement and management of corporate risk. “

The Role of the Chief Social Work Officer. Scottish Government May 2016.

There are clear lines of accountability between the CSWO to the Chief Officer of the HSCP and

the Chief Executive of the Council. The view of the CSWO is sought on policy and strategic

developments as well as complex operational issues. To support this there are regular

scheduled meetings between the CSWO, the Chief Officer of the HSCP and the Chief Executive

of the Council. The CSWO has a statutory role as the professional advisor and non-voting

member of the IJB and also sits on the Clinical and Care Governance Committee which has

widened its governance role and is refining it processes to more effectively assure itself with

regard to the range of social care activity. The CSWO is also a member of the Chief Officer

Group for Public Protection (COG PP) and is the MAPPA lead. The CSWO is also a member of

the Child Protection and Adult Protection Committees.

The CSWO attends the Social Work Scotland Chief Social Work Officers Group and heads a

professional leadership group within Argyll and Bute which addresses policy and strategic

developments as well as issues of professional practice. The CSWO conducts annual meetings

across all four localities with Social Work service staff to share developments in professional

practice and discuss any professional issues raised by staff. The CSWO has a high and personal

profile within the Social Work service and can be readily approached by staff for advice and

support on professional matters as and when the need arises.

The CSWO is also the Head of Children and Families and Criminal Justice and manages Child

Health (including CAMHS) and Maternity Services as part of an integrated remit. When the

CSWO is absent or on leave the CSWO role is delegated to a competent third tier manager

and this arrangement has worked well and has served to introduce less senior social work

managers to the role of the CSWO as part of their professional development.

23

Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership Governance Structure

The Argyll and Bute HSCP operates the following formal governance arrangements as

illustrated in the flow chart below:

Integration Joint Board:

Responsible for the governance, planning and resourcing of services, has full power to

decide how to use resources and deliver delegated services to improve quality and

people’s outcomes

Work alongside NHS Highland, Argyll and Bute Council and community planning

partnership to deliver health and social care services

Clinical and Care Governance Committee:

Provide assurance to the IJB that systems, processes and procedures are in place to

ensure delivery of safe and effective person-centred health and social care services.

Support services to continuously improve the quality and safety of care, identify areas

for performance improvement and to provide assurance for professional standards of

care.

Strategic Planning Group:

Support the IJB in preparing, consulting and publishing a Strategic Plan for integrated

Health and Social Care services.

Review progress of the Strategic Plan delivery through the Annual Performance Report

and locality planning processes

Provides leadership and supports the development and of Locality Planning Groups

Integration Joint Board

Clinical and Care Governance Committee

Strategic Planning Group

Audit CommitteeQuality and Finance Plan

Programme Board

24

Audit Committee:

Ensure sound governance arrangements are in place for the IJB and ensuring the

efficient and effective performance of the HSCP in order to deliver on outcomes

Provide the IJB with independent assurance on the adequacy of the risk management

framework, the internal control environment and the integrity of financial reporting

and annual governance processes

Quality and Finance Plan Programme Board:

Oversee the programme of work to plan to deliver financial balance including delivery

of the service changes in the Quality and Finance Plan, develop and oversee financial

recovery plans and develop an approach to future planning for future service change

proposals.

Chief Officer Group for Public Protection

The Chief Officer Group for Public Protection (COG PP) is chaired by the Chief Executive of

Argyll and Bute Council. The membership includes the CSWO, the Chief Officer of the HSCP,

the HSCP Heads of Service, the Police Scotland Divisional Commander as well as the Argyll

and Bute public protections leads. Over the past year COG PP have led the closer integration

of the work of the Child Protection Committee with the Adult Protection Committee. Having

completed a self-evaluation exercise COG PP later draw up a Public Protection Strategy and

has begun to align the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), Violence

Against Woman Partnership (VAW), Community Justice and the Alcohol and Drugs

Partnership (ADP) to effect a more joined up approach to public protection.

25

Community Planning Partnership

The Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership (CPP) is designed to provide strong

multi-agency leadership in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for the people of Argyll

and Bute. The Partnership is supported to deliver outcomes through six outcome delivery

groups which take forward the key strategic priorities of the partnership.

The Outcome Delivery Groups are given direction, challenge and support from the

Community Planning Partnership Management Committee which provides the key link

between strategy and delivery of local outcomes for our communities. Four Area Community

Planning Groups consider local issues of relevance to the outcome of the Partnership and

feedback on these to both the Outcome Delivery Groups and the Management Committee

through regular agenda items at each. The CPP has a Full Partnership Board which meets

annually and considers overall progress and direction. The CPP board is led by the Leader of

Argyll and Bute Council.

The Argyll and Bute Children’s Strategic Group reports to the Community Planning

Management Group as part of these governance arrangements. The Children’s Strategic

Group has produced the Children’s Service Plan (2017 20) which it presently reviews on an

annual basis. The Children’s Strategic Group also provides oversight and governance for

Corporate Parenting, child protection and Getting Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).

26

4. Social Work Services Delivery Landscape

An Overview

Argyll and Bute is the second largest local authority by area in Scotland, after Highland. The

authority covers a land area of 690,947 hectares having the third sparsest population

(averaging just 13 persons per square kilometre) of Scotland’s 32 local authorities (Census

2011).

The landscape is characterised by long sea and freshwater lochs, peninsulas and islands. The

physical geography of the area adds considerably to the journey times between settlements

and communities. The limited road network makes the area vulnerable to disruption, and

diversions tend to be long. Island communities are vulnerable to ferry disruptions,

particularly in the winter months.

Argyll and Bute has 23 inhabited islands, more than any other Scottish local authority. These

are: Bute; Coll; Colonsay; Danna; Easdale; Eilean da Mheinn; Erraid; Gigha; Gometra;

Inchtavannach; Innischonan; Iona; Islay; Jura; Kerrera; Lismore; Luing; Mull; Oronsay; Seil;

Shuna (Luing); Tiree; Ulva (Census 2011).

Population

Argyll and Bute has a total population of 86,810 (NRS 2017 MYE). The population profile for

Helensburgh and Lomond is younger than for the other three Administrative Areas.

Nonetheless, the population of Helensburgh and Lomond, in common with populations across

the rest of Argyll and Bute, is ageing.

27

The population projections for Argyll and Bute indicate a gradual and sustained reduction in

the number of children and young people aged 0-16 and our working age population. The

projections indicate an increasing population of older people over the period from 2016 to

2041.

2016- Based Principle Population Projections for 2016-2041

NRS 2016-based population projections

Age cohort

Base

year

2016

2016 2020 2025 2030 2035 2041

%change

within

cohort

(2014-

2039)

0-15 13,238 13,238 12,989 12,528 11,910 11,475 11,073 -16.4

16-24 8,746 8,746 7,507 6,618 6,613 6,285 5,981 -31.6

25-44 17,443 17,443 17,417 17,384 16,542 15,610 14,464 -17.0

45-64 26,147 26,147 25,615 23,776 21,509 20,046 19,978 -23.6

45-74 38,368 38,368 38,013 36,095 34,916 33,656 32,141 -16.2

75+ 9,335 9,335 10,199 11,870 12,776 13,826 15,548 66.6

Total

population 87,130 87,130 86,125 84,495 82,757 80,852 78,907 -9.4

(Sources: NRS 2016-based principal population projections for 2016-2041)

The NRS 2016-based projections highlight the demographic challenge facing Argyll and Bute.

If current trends continue, absolute numbers and proportions of older people will increase as

numbers and proportions of people in younger age cohorts will fall.

Economy

Argyll and Bute’s economy is predominantly service-based. Argyll and Bute has relatively high

levels of employment in accommodation and food services and low levels of employment in

manufacturing and finance. The proportion of employee jobs within the public sector is

higher in Argyll and Bute than the national average.

Out-of-Work Benefits claimant rates in Argyll and Bute are below the Scottish average

although, because of the high levels of seasonal employment in the area, rates vary according

to time of year.

28

The Faslane Naval Base is the largest single site employer in Scotland. The MOD directly

employs some 4,660 people in Argyll and Bute (3,240 military personnel and 1,420 civilians)

(MOD, Quarterly location statistics: 1 October 2017). The age profile of the military personnel

lowers the average age of the population in Helensburgh and Lomond, and produces a

noticeable bulge in younger working-age male cohorts in the area.

Deprivation

The SIMD 2016, produced by the Scottish Government, identifies small-area concentrations

of multiple deprivation across Scotland. The SIMD is produced at datazone level, with

datazones being ranked from 1 (most deprived) to 6,976 (least deprived).

According to SIMD 2016, the most recent version of the index, 11 datazones within Argyll and

Bute were in the 20% most overall deprived datazones in Scotland.

These eleven datazones are located in Argyll and Bute’s main towns:

Three in Helensburgh

Two each in Rothesay and Campbeltown

Three in Dunoon

One in Oban.

Patterns of deprivation vary by deprivation domain. A particular contrast can be seen

between levels of access deprivation, which affects most of rural Argyll and Bute and levels

of deprivation across other SIMD domains, which show higher levels of deprivation in the

towns.

Integration of Health and Social Care Services.

Argyll Bute HSCP has set out an ambition to implement “Locality Planned, Owned and

Delivered” arrangements which will:

Understand health and care needs of our communities

Bring together partners to plan within a strategic framework to meet needs and

achieve national outcomes

Organise and deliver services in local areas which are integrated of high quality, safe,

appropriate, sustainable and continually improving.

Operate within budgets, complying with care, workforce, and audit standards

Manage performance ensuring this is informed by service user and public involvement

and feedback

Be the local focus for service delivery and support to the population or communities

within the area concerned.

29

To support these local arrangements early work has been undertaken in defining localities

across Argyll and Bute, based on the 2011 data-zones with a correction for Colonsay. The

eight localities are identified as:

HSCP locality Areas covered

Bute Isle of Bute

Cowal Lochgoilhead, Strachur, Tighnabruaich, Dunoon

Helensburgh and Lomond Helensburgh, Kilcreggan, Garelochhead, Arrochar

Mid-Argyll Tarbert, Lochgilphead, Ardfern, Inveraray,

Kintyre Southend, Campbeltown, Muasdale, Carradale

(including Gigha)

Islay and Jura Isles of Islay & Jura

Oban, Lorn Easdale to Oban, to Port Appin to Dalmally, Lismore

and Kerrera

Mull, Iona, Coll, Tiree and

Colonsay

The Isles of Mull, Iona, Coll, Tiree and Colonsay

Throughout 2017/18 the Locality Planning Groups have been meeting to identify local

priorities within the context of the Health and Social Care Partnership’s 3 year Strategic Plan,

with the aim of setting locality plans.

5. Resources & Finance

An Overview

There is a history of strong financial management within the Social Work service and the

CSWO participates in the budget planning for the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP)

as do all the Heads of Service. It should be noted the Social Work Service is needs-led and

there will always be potential for volatility in the budget.

The Integration Joint Board (IJB) approved a balanced budget for 2017-18 and a Quality and

Finance Plan was approved outlining the service changes required to deliver the £8.7m of

savings necessary to deliver financial balance.

There were significant financial challenges during the year due to increasing demand for social

care services, and the scale and the pace of service change required to deliver the financial

savings. Throughout the financial year there was a projected overspend position and as a

consequence a financial Recovery Plan was put into place which included restrictions on non-

essential spend and vacancy management to ensure services could be delivered from within

the delegated budget during 2017-18.

30

The Quality and Finance Plan for 2017-18 included service changes required to deliver £8.7m

of savings in-year, at the year-end £4.2m of these savings were delivered on a recurring basis,

with a shortfall of £4.5m. The majority of the savings not delivered were highlighted as being

high risk at the start of the year and require to remain on the plan to be delivered in 2018-19.

The progress with delivering savings highlights the significant challenge facing the HSCP in

delivering further savings in future years.

Budget and Expenditure

Adult Services 2014/2015

(£000s)

2015/2016

(£000s)

2016/2017

(£000s)

2017/18

(£000s)

Net Expenditure 42,963 43,857 47,071 54,948

Children & Families and

Criminal Justice Services

Net Expenditure 11,891 13,359 12,911 12,953

Between 2016/17 and 2017/18, after adjusting for the impact of a change in the accounting

treatment of £4.943m of resource release income, the net expenditure on Adult Services

increased by 6.23%.

Between 2016/17 and 2017/18 the net expenditure on Children and Families services

increased by 0.33%.

Overall spend on net Social Work services in Argyll and Bute as a proportion of net Council

Services spend was 27%

In terms of Health and Social Care Partnership, overall spend on net Social Work services in

Argyll and Bute as a proportion of all HSCP spend was 26%.

Adult Care

Adult Care directly provides or commissions support, protection and care for vulnerable

adults and adult with a range of disabilities whether it is associated with mental health,

learning disability, sensory impairment or old age.

31

Adult Care Service Net Expenditure:

Home care: £13.250m

Council care homes for older people: £4.359m

Commissioning care homes for older people: £9.403m

Supported living for learning disability: £8.392m

Commissioning care homes for learning disability: £3.647m

Assessment and care management (Older People): £3.006m

HOMECARE - ACTUAL GROSS EXPENDITURE PER YEAR

Sector 2013-14

(£000s)

2014-15

(£000s)

2015-16

(£000s)

2016-17

(£000s)

2017-18

(£000s)

Internal

Homecare 2,612 2,943 3,191 3,216 3,151

External

Homecare 8,620 8,971 9,387 9,572 10,412

Total 11,232 11,914 12,578 12,788 13,563

COMMISSIONING OF CARE HOME BEDS - ACTUAL

EXPENDITURE BY CLIENT GROUP PER YEAR

Client Group

2013-14

(£000s)

2014-15

(£000s)

2015-16

(£000s)

2016-17

(£000s)

2017-18

(£000s)

Older People 7,154 7,596 7,701 8,994 9,403

Physical

Disability 104 96 42 70 96

Learning

Disability 1,808 1,869 1,947 2,103 3,647

Mental Health 155 37 40 82 280

Addictions 20 24 12 17 13

Grand Total 9,241 9,622 9,748 11,266 13,439

32

Children and Families & Criminal Justice

Children and Families service directly provide or commission support, care and protection for

vulnerable children, young people and their families.

The financial impact of Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 has seen a significant

increase in funding in order to deliver the statutory duties within the Act. In October 2015

parity for kinship carer and foster carers was introduced so kinship carers receive the same

financial allowance as foster carers (foster carers also receive an additional fee element to

reflect their training and skills). The Scottish Government and the HSCP financial support for

kinship carers will initially meet service demand, however, future demand is projected to

outstrip allocated resources. The financial impact of Parts 10 and 11 of the 2014 Act will put

pressure on the whole system to provide support to Looked after Children up to their 26th

birthday. With increased costs of internal and external placements the amount allocated to

the HSCP is unlikely to meet the increasing costs over next 2 years.

Children & Families Service Expenditure:

In 2016/17, the net revenue expenditure for Children and Families was £14m.The most

significant costs during 2016-17 were as follows:

Assessment and Care Management: £2.778m

Family Placement (includes fostering and adoption): £2.056m

HSCP Care Homes: £1.551m

External Residential Placements: £1.201m

Children with a Disability: £0.211m

Criminal Justice

The Argyll and Bute Criminal Justice Service is dispersed across Argyll and Bute to provide

reports to the local courts and manage the community disposals. A significant and growing

area of activity is the assessment and management of high risk offenders. We have observed

an upward trend in the number of high risk offenders with complex needs which has made

finding suitable accommodation more difficult. Criminal Justice finance is centrally funded by

Scottish Government and is ring fenced. The finance formula is based on workload and takes

no consideration of rurality. Following the implementation of the Community Justice

(Scotland) Act 2016 the Community Justice Partnership of which Argyll and Bute was a

member has been dissolved. Whilst there remains close working between the former partner

agencies the budgets have been realigned to reflect this.

33

One immediate consequence of this has been that the Helensburgh and Lomond locality

which was previously managed by West Dunbartonshire has transferred to Argyll and Bute.

Criminal Justice Service Expenditure:

Employee Expenses: £0.848m

Premises Related Expenditure: £0.030m

Supplies & Services: £0.027m

Third Party Payments: £0.044m

Transport Related Expenditure: £0.062m

Total Expenditure: £1.011m

6. Service Quality and Performance

Adult Care Performance

Care at Home

Argyll and Bute Social Work services continue to support an increasing number of older

people to live at home, reporting year on year increases in the number of people aged 65+

directly receiving homecare. The proportion of care at home provision in terms of Personal

Care remains significantly high.

The number of service users awaiting a Homecare service has reduced from 13 last year to 6

reflecting steps taken to address issues with care provision in certain areas within Argyll and

Bute.

The overall trend with regards to those in receipt of homecare the data notes a 7% increase

in the number of people receiving homecare from 2015/16 to 2017/18. The trend trajectory

for the data notes a year on year increasing trend equating to more people each year being

supported to live at home.

34

Homecare Data 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Number of people aged 65+

receiving homecare

1,019

1,069 1,090

Residential Care

In conjunction with supporting more people to live at home, Social Work services have

focussed on managing a reduction in the number of people across the age groups, admitted

to care homes. Over the last year the overall number of admissions has decreased slightly

from a total of 609 in 2016/17 to 595 in 2017/18, reflecting consistent levels of demand for

older people’s services in Argyll and Bute. The relatively flat trend across this data is

suggestive that current strategies to support more people to remain in their own homes

(increasing homecare trends) may be statistically impacting on the levels of care home

admissions.

Delayed Discharges

Sustaining a high level of performance in Delayed Discharge has been challenging. During this

period the number and dependency levels of those service users coming through the system

continues to increase and recruitment into home care and key NHS community posts has

become increasingly problematic.

Care Homes 2015-16 2016-17 2017/18

Number of

Permanent / Long

Stay Residents

Supported in Care

Homes

18-

64 65+ Total 18-64 65+ Total

18-64

65+

Total

Total 45 521 566 57 552 609 50 545 595

35

Argyll and Bute Adult Care Services monitors the total number of delayed discharge clients

within hospitals from Argyll and Bute Area who are medically fit for discharge including

Complex Needs Codes 9, 9/51X and 9/71X. Complex Needs are categorised as: - Code 9 -

Exemption Code 9/51X - AWI cases (Adult with Incapacity) Code 9/71X - Interim placement

out with local area is unreasonable. National measure for 17/18 was exceptions over 72

hours. Across FY 2017/18 Argyll and Bute performed 17th out of the 32 Local Authorities.

Adult Protection

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 (The Act) seeks to protect and benefit

adults at risk of being harmed. The Act requires public bodies to work together to support

and protect adults who are unable to safeguard themselves, their property and their rights.

It provides a range of measures which they can use. The public bodies are required to work

together to take steps to decide whether someone is an adult at risk of harm, balancing the

need to intervene with an adult's right to live as independently as possible. Adult Protection

Committees set the strategic direction for multi-agency working at the local level in

accordance with the Act.

Across 2017/18 there were 365 Adult Protection referrals, with 35% from Police. 82% of

referrals were dealt with through other supporting processes, and 9.3% leading to further

Adult Protection activity. There were 34 investigations during 17/18, however no Protection

Orders were granted during this reporting year.

0

20

40

Apr-17May-

17Jun-17 Jul-17

Aug-17

Sep-17 Oct-17Nov-

17Dec-17

Jan-18 Feb-18Mar-

18

No of DD 15 21 22 11 23 19 26 27 26 30 23 28

Code 9 8 9 7 5 10 7 10 4 5 5 7 7

Awaiting Care Package 3 8 12 4 9 10 12 18 9 15 10 16

Delayed Discharges 2017/18

36

Adult Protection Referrals

Summary of volume and range of adult protection activity, as below.

The data below notes that from the overall number of referrals received (365) the conversion

rate to Investigations is (9%), conversion to Initial Case Conference is (5%) and to Review Case

Conferences is (4%).

Year 2017 – 2018 Number

Referrals 365

Investigations 34

Initial Case Conferences 18

Review Case Conferences 14

Analysis of the top three age groups for referrals notes statistically that the age group 46-64

remain the highest group of referrals received (96) against 85+ (76) and 80-84 (41). The

lowest referral age groups were noted within both the 65-69 (14) and not known (12).

31 34

96

14

32 29

41

76

12

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

16-24 25-39 40-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+ Not Known

Age Band Breakdown of AP Referrals 2017/18

37

Analysis of the data with regards to investigation by age and gender notes the number of

males within the 40-64 age groups (7 males) form the highest referral group, with females

forming the next highest statistical group in both the 40-64 (6 females) and 85+ (6 females ).

The lowest number of investigation by gender and age are noted in the 16-24 age groups (1

male) and (1 female) in the 75-79 age groups.

With regards to Adult Protection Conferences the data notes the highest overall conference

rate is within the 40-64 age group (8) which in turn represents 25 % of the total number of

conferences.

16-24 25-39 40-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+

Number of investigations by age andgender All adults

1 2 13 3 2 1 4 8

Number of investigations by age andgender Female

0 1 6 2 0 1 2 6

Number of investigations by age andgender Male

1 1 7 1 2 0 2 2

1 2 13 3 2 1 4 8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

AP Investigations 2017/18 by Age Band and Gender

16-24 25-39 40-64 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+ Total

Total 7 3 8 2 2 5 5 32

AP Review Conference 5 3 3 0 0 2 1 14

AP Initial Conference 2 0 5 2 2 3 4 18

7 3 8 2 2 5 5 32

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

AP Conferences 2017/18 by Age Band and Type

AP Initial Conference AP Review Conference Total

38

Self-directed Support

Self-Directed Support enables people to be in control of and direct how, when, in what way

and by whom, they are supported. During 2017/18 there were 3668 adult service users

known to have been supported by a social worker, of which 2134 were assessed for SDS. The

numbers supported to select Option1 (direct payment) rose to 159, an increase of 6% over

the reporting year.

Telecare

The number of enhanced telecare packages within Argyll and Bute continued to rise across

2017/18, with reported increase of 11.4%. Enhanced Telecare packages offer a range of

sensors; alerts and reminders that play a key role in enabling people remain safely in their

own homes and communities. Some packages can be remotely monitored via web-based

technology, reassuring relatives or alerting professional carers to specific needs e.g.

wandering.

Mental Health

Mental Health Officers (MHOs) are appointed by the Chief Social Work Officer / Local

Authority to carry out a statutory role with people with a mental disorder. MHO’s undertake

statutory assessments, prepare applications, reports and care plans in relation to individuals

who may be subject to compulsory care and treatment in the hospital or in the community.

MHOs present reports and evidence to the Mental Health Tribunal of Scotland and/or Courts

and work within a range of legislative frameworks relating to mental health, adults with

incapacity and criminal justice.

658

701 696709 713 723 721 720 721 713

733 733

APR-17 MAY-17 JUN-17 JUL-17 AUG-17 SEP-17 OCT-17 NOV-17 DEC-17 JAN-18 FEB-18 MAR-18

No of Enhanced Telecare Packages 2017/18

39

Purpose of team, size location 2017/18 has shown a sustained increase in the number of MH

Service Users being supported in the Community, increasing from 273 in April 2017 to 322 as

at March 2018, reflecting 97.8% of mental health patients supported in a community setting.

This can be attributed mainly to the early co-location and integration of the mental health

and community care teams which has been a positive model of collaborative working with

Argyll and Bute.

Rates of Detention for period April 2017 to March 2018 under the Mental Health (Care and

Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003

Category of Detention: Numbers:

Number of Emergency Detention

Certificates

34

Number of Short Term Detention

Certificates

48

Number of Compulsory Treatment

Orders (new applications)

9

NB: Helensburgh & Lomond recorded separately due to current SLA with GGC.

Adults With Incapacity

2017 - 2018 Numbers

Existing Guardianship Total (Private and

Local Authority)

147

Local Authority Existing Guardianships 19

40

Adult Services – Inspection Reports for 2017/1

Internal Care Home Providers

Care Homes Care &

Support

Staffing Management

& Leadership

Environment

Struan Lodge 5 5 5 5

Thomson Court 4 5 5 5

Eadar Glinn 5 6 6 4

Tigh a Rhuda 4 4 3 4

Ardfenaig 3 5 3 4

Gortanvogie 3 3 3 3

External Care Home Providers

Care Homes Care &

Support

Staffing Management

& Leadership

Environment

Invereck 4 4 4 4

Argyle Care Centre 4 4 3 3

Ardnahein 3 3 3 3

Kinytre Care Centre 3 3 4 3

Lochside Care Hone 4 4 4 3

Ashgrove 3 4 4 4

Lynn of Lorn 3 3 3 3

Morar Lodge Nursing Home 5 5 5 5

Palm Court 3 3 3 3

North Argyll House 5 5 5 5

Ardenlee 5 4 5 4

Northwood House 4 5 4 4

41

Internal Home Care & Day Centre Providers

Care Homes Care &

Support

Staffing Management

& Leadership

Environment

Mid Argyll , Jura, Islay, and Kintyre

Homecare

3 4 3 NA

Mull & Iona, Tiree and Colonsay

Homecare

3 4 1 NA

Lynnside Day Centre 5 5 4 5

Struan Lodge Day Care 4 5 4 5

Thomson Court Day Care 5 5 4 4

Mid Argyll Day Care 3 4 4 3

Greenwood 4 4 4 NA

ASIST 3 4 3 4

Community Resource Team 5 4 3 NA

Lochgilphead Resource centre 6 4 5 4

Lorne Resource Centre 4 4 3 4

Woodlands Centre 5 5 5 4

External Home Care & Day Centre Providers

Care Homes Care &

Support

Staffing Management

& Leadership

Environment

Allied Health Care ( Helensburgh &

Cowal)

5 5 5 NA

Allied (Isle of Bute) 5 5 4 NA

Argyll Homecare 5 5 4 NA

Care+ (Oban) 4 4 4 NA

Careplus 5 5 5 NA

Carers Direct 4 4 4 NA

Carewatch 5 5 5 NA

Carr Gomm Argyll & Bute 5 5 5 NA

Oasis Day Centre 6 6 5 6

Cowal Care Services 5 5 5 NA

Crossroads (Cowal & Bute) 5 5 4 NA

Joans Carers 4 4 4 NA

Mears Homecare 4 4 4 NA

Mears Care Ltd 4 4 3 NA

Premier Healthcare 5 5 4 NA

Quality Care 5 5 4 NA

Crossroads North Argyll 5 5 4 NA

42

Scotnursing 5 5 4 NA

Clyde Carers 5 3 3 NA

Highland Home Care 4 4 4 NA

Blue Triangle Oban Housing 3 4 3 NA

HELP Project 6 6 6 NA

Affinity Trust 4 4 4 NA

Enable Scotland ( Dunoon) 5 4 4 NA

Enable Scotland ( Helensburgh) 6 5 6 NA

Enable Scotland ( Lorn & Isles) 5 6 5 NA

Enable Scotland ( Helensburgh Day

Services)

5 5 5 NA

Enable Scotland ( Mid Argyll &

Kintyre)

4 4 4 NA

Key Community 4 4 4 NA

Mariner Homecare 5 5 5 NA

South Peak 4 4 4 4

Addaction Scotland Recovery Service 5 5 5 NA

Maxie Richards Foundation 5 5 5 NA

Case Studies

Use of Re-ablement

In this example an elderly person had been discharged home from hospital following gall

bladder inflammation. The Extended Community Care Team (ECCT) provided morning

personal care support and external Care Provider afternoon support and tuck-in visit. The

ECCT and carers provided intensive re-ablement encouraging exercises and practice with

transfers. Equipment was also provided on discharge. Following a timeous 4 weekly joint

review the package was ceased as re-ablement goals were met.

Use of Carer Support

In this example an elderly person was living at home with her son who is her primary carer.

Without his support she would require care home placement. The son has a learning

disability and is his mother’s main carer. Following a review of the elderly persons care and

the completion of a carer’s assessment the son was referred to Crossroads for carer support

and respite which allowed him to attend a weekly walking group which greatly supported him

in his carer role. The Case Manager continues to maintain oversight of the arrangement

through regular contact and is able to provide reassurance and advice when needed.

43

Use of New Technology

The Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Integrated Occupational Therapy Service is one of the first

in the UK to use a new technology service to bring benefits to its clients and to increase

efficiencies. The Occupational Therapy team has used Just Checking’s new Daily Living System

to provide unbiased evidence of progress during re-ablement, to create efficiencies for

practitioners and help to ensure that individuals get the right level and type of support.

For one elderly woman, the Daily Living System provided the evidence needed to adjust her

care package to better suit her needs. On being discharged from hospital she was originally

supported through four care visits a day, including a lunch-time visit. However, she disliked

the frequency of visits, did not often eat the lunch made for her, and did not want to make

her own lunch when the carers were there. She told the team that she no longer wanted the

lunch-time visit and would prefer to make her own lunch when she wanted it.

The occupational therapy team were not confident that she would be motivated to prepare

her own meals and drinks, but were able to agree to her request to remove the lunch-time

visit by installing the Daily Living System which helped to inform the overall assessment and

reassurance that the package of care could be adjusted, accordingly.

In another instance the HSCP had been supporting two young women both of whom

experienced learning disabilities in a shared tenancy for a considerable number of years.

One of the young women also had a significant visual impairment. In consultation with the

parents and guardians, the two service users, the Social Worker, the provider and our Tech

team we reached a decision to progress with a review of the sleepovers which had been in

place for a number of years. Despite high levels of anxiety and trepidation from the families

with regards the possibility of increased risk it was agreed that we would install Just

Checking which would allow all parties to monitor nocturnal sleep patterns and need for

support.

After a six week period all the parties were able to review the data and it was concluded

that the sleep pattern and need for support and intervention was not required and could be

safely removed. The sleepovers were removed and additional Tech installed to provide

additional levels of security. The two young woman are very proud of the independence

which they have achieved. This is a positive example of partnership work between the

individuals, families involved and the use of technology which allows for measured and

appropriate decision making to be made in a safe and robust manner with sound evidence

that promotes independence and enables those in receipt of support to be more

independent and less dependent on staff.

44

Children & Families Performance

An Overview

The number of Looked After Children reports a fall of 5.4% during 2017/18, with Kinship

placements falling concurrently during the same period. Latest national publication (March

2017) reported Argyll and Bute ranked 14th of the 32 Scottish local authorities for the rate per

1000 of Children aged 0-15 who are LAC (1.2), against the reported Scotland rate of (1.4).

The balance of care for children and young people who are looked after in either a community

or family setting notes a slight decrease during 2017/18 from 94.0% to 84.0%, against the

latest reported Scotland Rate of 89.8%.

Child Protection registrations, whilst increasing, remain low at 31 with a numeric increase of

3 (8.8%) reported across 2017/18.

Description

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

N.of referrals 3559 3876 3069 3092

No. of Children Subject of a Referral 1545 1621 1439 1395

Looked After Children 183 178 185 175

Looked After Accommodated Children 134 124 135 117

Child Protection Investigation 132 173 207 191

Child Protection Registrations 23 27 34 31

No. Foster Care Placements 57 49 50 46

No. Kinship Placements 44 45 56 48

No. Throughcare Clients 40 59 68 91

No Ex-care Leavers with a Pathway Plan 37 37 43 39

45

Number of Children Referred

The reported number of total referrals to Children and Families is consistent with 2016/17,

increasing by 1% from 3069 to 3092. The number of children subject of a referral also

remained consistent, reporting a slight decrease of 3%, from 1439 to 1395 (11.2%) over the

same period. This has been achieved through the introduction of a streamlined ‘Single Point

of Contact’ referral processes and early filtering under the Early & Effective Intervention (EEI)

arrangements. Children and Families continue to work with the majority of children and their

families on a voluntary basis.

Child Protection

The number of Child Protection Investigations has decreased by 7.7% (16) in 2017/18 from

207 to 191. While there was slight decrease reported in 2014/15, the figures have remained

relatively static over the past 4 year period. Child Protection Registrations (CPR) remain low

at 31, and have decreased in line with decreasing investigation rates across reporting year.

35593876

3069 3092

1545 1621 1439 1395

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Children Referred

Number of Referrals No. Children Subject of a Referral

132173

207 191

23 27 34 31

0

50

100

150

200

250

2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18

Children in Child Protection Process

Child Protection Investigations Child Protection Registrations

46

Looked After Children

The overall performance trend notes an overall 6% reduction in accommodated Looked After

Children for 2018 as compared with 2017. The number of children supported at home with

parents from (50) in 2017 to (43) in 2018, alongside this the number of children in receipt of

Kinship reduced from (56) for 2017 to (49) in 2018 and the number of children in HSCP Homes

increased for (10) in 2017 to (18) for 2018. The number of children in Foster Care Purchased

by the HSCP reduced from (4) in 2018 to (3) in 2018.

Children & Families Inspection Reports

At homewith

parentsKinship

Fostercarers

providedby LA

Fostercarers

purchased by LA

Withprospect

iveadopters

Othercommun

ity

LocalAuthority home

Residential

school

Secureaccommodation

Otherresidenti

al

2017 50 56 46 4 1 1 10 7 0 2

2018 43 49 43 3 0 2 18 6 1 2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

No

of

Ch

ildre

n

Number of Looked After Children 16/17 and 17/18 Comparison

2017 2018

47

The latest inspection grading’s for Children and Families services registered with the Care

Inspectorate are as below.

Children and Families - Quality Theme Care Inspectorate Grades (1-6)

Care

Inspectorate

Number

Name Care &

Support Environment Staffing

Management

& Leadership

CS2005091229 Achievement Bute 5 N/A 5 4

CS2012307560 Cornerstone 5 N/A 5 5

CS2006129195 Scottish Autism – Oban

autism Resources 5 N/A 4 5

CS2010249688 Ardlui Respite House –

Sense Scotland 5 4 4 4

CS2003000426

Helensburgh Children’s

Unit (Argyll and Bute

Council)

5 5 5 5

CS2003000461 Shellach View (Argyll and

Bute Council) 5 5 5 5

CS2003000451

Dunclutha Residential

Home (Argyll and Bute

Council)

5 5 5 5

CS2006115758 Dunoon School Hostel

(Argyll and Bute Council) 4 5 4 3

Cs2006130205 Glencruitten Hostel

(Argyll and Bute Council) 3 5 3 3

CS2004082322 Argyll and Bute Adoption

Service 4 N/A 5 5

CS2004082341 Argyll and Bute Fostering

Service 5 N/A 5 5

CS2004079237 Kintyre Community

Support Network 4 N/A 4 3

48

Participation and Engagement

Participation and engagement remains our key priority and a major driver for service

improvement and change. In partnership with the Life Changes Trust and Who Carers

Scotland the Argyll and Bute Corporate parenting Board has appointed a Participation Officer

and is in the process of appointing two care experienced modern apprentices as Assistant

Participation Officers. Having established a Champions SUPPORT Board our aim is to develop

on a co-productive basis a participation framework with which to assist our children and

young people in engaging with their corporate parents in the evaluation and redesign of

services.

The fostering service organises training and development events for our foster carers which

also provides an opportunity for us to undertake consultation and engagement exercises.

Child care is arranged for the children and young people (a crèche for the under 5s and

outdoor Stramash activities for the older children) to maximise attendance. The events occur

twice yearly being always very well attended and well evaluated. Whilst these events are

open to adopters and kinship carers more targeted arrangements are needed with regard to

consultation and engagement.

Arrangements are in place to secure parental engagement within the children protection and

looked after children arrangements. The Care Assessment and Reviewing Officers routinely

meet with parents before conferences and reviews to explain the process and ensure parents

are prepared and supported to participate in the meetings. One area for improvement is in

the use and return of questionnaires regarding parental experience of the service. Similarly

parents often chose not to participate in follow-up interviews.

Children 1st and Who Cares Scotland are advocacy services commissioned by Argyll and Bute

HSCP to advocate for support our children and young people within the child protection or

looked after processes. All children and young people within this process are offered support

and advocacy. In addition our Care Assessment and Reviewing Officers, who chair these

meetings, ensure children and young people’s views are fed into assessments and care

planning using different tools. Often Viewpoint, an electronic questionnaire, is used or for

older young people the Care Assessment and Reviewing Officer will meet prior to the

meeting.

Case Examples

The type of work undertaken by Children & Families and Criminal Justice Social Work is best

illustrated through case examples. Two case examples have been included in this section of

the report to do this.

49

Adoption

The following case example serves to illustrate the work of the Adoption and Fostering Team

and their approach to permanence. In this case Child H is the fourth child of a sibling group

born to the same mother. She also shares the same father as two of her siblings. As all three

older children had previously been placed for Adoption, and the parents had not evidenced

any change to their lifestyle, it was anticipated that an assessment of their capacity to parent

this child would highlight the same problems as previously. Child H was made subject of a

Child Protection Order at birth, and on discharge from hospital, went to local foster carers.

Prospective adopters were identified who were willing to have the child placed with them on

a fostering basis initially, whilst the child’s plan was being fully assessed and progressed to

permanence. This involves risk, as the child’s ultimate plan may not be for Adoption, or to

remain with them, but it also offers an excellent opportunity for the adopters and their birth

children to have the child join their family at the earliest opportunity, and in this case, child H

was placed with the adopting family aged 4 days.

Assessments were carried out, including a sibling assessment and parenting assessments, and

ultimately, an Adoption Order was made 17 months later. Prior to this, the family was

involved in the progression of the child’s plan, attending LAAC reviews and Children’s

Hearings and the male carer met with the birth parents. All of this experience enabled them

to be fully involved in the child’s journey, and to have valuable information to share with her

about her experiences when she is older. Also, Child H did not have to deal with transitioning

from one carer to another, and all the resultant loss and difficulty that a child can experience

through having to move placements.

The key aims for a child where their birth parents cannot parent them, is to provide stability,

security and a loving, nurturing alternative family for them as soon as possible. Minimizing

delay and disruption as well as multiple placements is always a priority, and this example

shows how this can work out well for the child, to their short and long term benefit.

Criminal Justice

The following case example demonstrates the work of the CJSW with service users to assist

them to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons for their offending behaviour and

seeks to provide them with opportunities to address these. In this case by attending an

external resource with the overall aim of rehabilitation and moving forward towards a life

free from crime.

Mr B, a 57 year old man was convicted of careless driving, whilst under the influence of

alcohol and also failing to provide details to the police. Mr B was sentenced to a 1 year

Community Payback Order with supervision requirement. Mr B had been in the army for a

considerable part of his life, joining when he was 16 and leaving aged 43. On leaving the army,

Mr B had worked as a HGV Driver until he was convicted of these offences.

50

Mr B found life outwith the army difficult to adjust to and had for many years self- medicated

with binge drinking to cope with the loss of identity and camaraderie that army life provided

him with. Mr B had problems sustaining long term relationships and was at the time the order

was imposed seeking a divorce for the third time. Due to this criminal conviction Mr B also

lost his HGV licence and this impacted on his capacity to earn a living.

Mr B was encouraged to view his Community Payback Order as an opportunity to invest in

himself and he was encouraged to attend COMBAT STRESS - The Veterans Mental Health

Charity based in Ayrshire to help him address his drinking, PTSD Symptoms and anger

management issues that can be associated with this. He was supported to attend for two

separate residential courses to address the outlined areas of work and these were considered

to be successful in Mr B regaining control of his life and gave him the skills to manage his

alcohol use and conflict resolution.

Mr B also attended regular supervision appointments with his Criminal Justice Social Worker

and he accepted full responsibility for his offending and the public safety issues inherent in

driving offences.

As Mr B had complied fully with his Community Payback Order, had addressed all aspects of

his offending behaviour, and was managing the underlying causes of this i.e. his own mental

health and alcohol use and had the offer of employment abroad through his army contacts,

an application was made to the Court for an early discharge of his CPO. The Court recognised

the progress that Mr B had made in his life and granted the early discharge.

Integrated Joint Board & National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes

The national health and wellbeing outcomes provide a strategic framework for the planning

and delivery of health and social care services. These suites of outcomes, together, focus on

improving the experiences and quality of services for people using those services, carers and

their families. These outcomes focus on improving how services are provided, as well as, the

difference that integrated health and social care services should make, for individuals.

Currently there are 9 key National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes (NHWBO) and 23 sub-

indicators which form the basis of the reporting requirement for the HSCP.

The IJB receives a summary of the scorecard at each meeting highlighting the HSCPs

performance against the NHWBO performance on the pyramid reporting system. The

scorecard above illustrates its performance as at the end of March 2018. Of the 102 scorecard

success measures 65 are currently reported as being on target.

51

7. Delivery of Statutory Functions

An Overview

Much of the activity of the Social Work service is laid down by statute and externally

regulated. The CSWO is responsible for a number of specific decisions and oversight of the

Social Work services statutory functions particularly in relation to the legal rights, wellbeing

and the safe care of vulnerable individuals and the wider protection of the public. Whilst

some of these duties are delegated the CSWO remains the accountable officer. The key

legislation is identified at the end of this chapter for which the HSCP is responsible under the

integration scheme.

Child Protection.

The protection of children is one of the core duties of the HSCP and forms a significant part

of the work of our local Children and Families social work teams. The HSCP has specific duties

in relation to children and young people placed on the Child Protection Register. The

protection of children is undertaken on a partnership basis and is over seen by the Children

Protection Committee (CPC) which reports to Children’s Strategic Group and the Chief Officer

Group Public Protection (COG PP).

Looked After Children (LAC).

These duties relate the provision of early intervention to avoid where possible the need for

admission to care through to the provision of appropriate accommodation and subsequent

Through and Aftercare services as well as Continuing Care. The Corporate Parenting Board

forms part of the governance for LAC and reports to the Children’s Strategic Group.

Children’s Hearings and Statutory Orders.

These duties require that where appropriate referrals are made to the Reporter and reports

prepared for a Children’s Hearing and when an order is made the conditions are compiled

with. This includes the arrangements for the “urgent” transfer of children and young people

subject to a Compulsory Supervision Order.

Adoption and Fostering.

These are registered services in which the key decisions are progressed through the Approval

and Matching Panel to the Agency Decision Maker (ADM). In Argyll and Bute the ADM is also

the CSWO. The Approval and Matching Panel is independently chaired by an experienced

social work professional.

52

Secure Accommodation.

The emergency admission of a child or young person to secure care is very strictly regulated

and must be authorised by the CSWO in conjunction with the Head of the Secure

Establishment. Under these regulations the child or young person’s case must be presented

to a Children’s Hearing within 72 hours. Thereafter the CSWO remains sighted on the child

or young person to ensure they continue to meet secure criteria.

Adult Support and Protection.

As with children the protection of vulnerable adults is delivered on partnership basis through

the Adult Protection Committee which reports to the COG PP.

Management of High Risk Offenders.

The CSWO is the MAPPA lead for the HSCP and chairs MAPPA Level 3 risk management

meetings. Level 3 offenders are assessed to represent a very high risk to the public and are

subject to robust risk assessment and risk management arrangements.

Mental Health Statutory Provisions.

The Social Work service has a legal duty to provide a mental health service which employs

specially trained social workers known as Mental Health Officers (MHO) to exercise statutory

powers in relation to people who have severe mental health problems and represent a risk to

either themselves or others.

Adults with Incapacity and Welfare Guardianship.

Many of these legal provisions are administered by a social worker whilst others are required

by law to be administered by an MHO. Where a court has determined an adult to be with

“incapacity” and made subject to a Welfare Guardianship Order the named guardian is the

CSWO.

Statutes:

Adult Care Services provide statutory functions subject to the following legislation:

Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968

National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990

Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000

53

Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007

Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003

Public Reform (Scotland) Act 2010

Equality Act 2010

Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013

Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014

Carers (Scotland) Act 2016

Children & Families provide statutory functions subject to the following legislation:

Children and Young Person (Scotland) act 1937

Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968

Children (Scotland) Act 1995

Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001

Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003

Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007

Public Reform (Scotland) Act 2010

Equality Act 2010

Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011

Children and Young Person (Scotland) Act 2014

Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014

Carers (Scotland) Act 2016

Criminal Justice Services provide statutory functions subject to the following legislation:

Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, S.27

Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010

54

Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2005

In addition there is key sex offender legislation:

The Sex Offenders Act (1997)

Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005

Sexual offences (Scotland) Act 2009

Community Justice (Scotland) 2016

55

8. Workforce - Planning & Development

Social Work Training Board

The Social Work Training Board is chaired by the CSWO and responsible for leading and

coordinating the development and implementation of a learning and development strategy

informed by Social Work principles and values, which develops professional, safe practice

resulting in a competent and confident workforce.

Specific objectives include:

To identify and agree learning and development priorities for workforce development

To support and inform HR and OD staff

To disseminate training information to staff within respective services

To lead and co-ordinate learning and development within the service

To deliver relationships and shared learning and development initiatives with other

statutory and voluntary agencies in Argyll and Bute

To approve Further Education Studies – Course Request Forms

To co-ordinate practice learning.

The board is made up of representatives from social work, health, HR and OD staff and meets

every 2 months.

Registration with SSSC

Employees are responsible for registering with the SSSC once their register is open, if they can

only register with conditions we ensure they are provide with the correct SVQ to enable full

registration. The Argyll and Bute Council Training Centre has received excellent verification

reports from the SQA. The Table below highlights the SVQ Courses undertaken across the

Social Work staff group in Argyll and Bute and the employees who have completed in the

period April 2017 – March 2018

SVQ - Adult Care No. Completed 2017/18

SVQ2 Social Services and Healthcare 4



SVQ4 Leadership and Management for Care Services 1

SVQ Medication Unit 0

56

LandD9DI (Assessor Award) 0

CPD Units at Level 4 1

SVQ – Children & Families No. Completed 2017/18

SVQ3 Social Services (Children and Young People) 5

SVQ4 Social Services (Children and Young People) 2

Leadership

Managers are being nominated via their Heads of Service to undertake the Argyll and Bute

Manager Programme. The Management Development Programme is a comprehensive

training course made up of 16 core modules which incorporate a variety of learning methods

split into 10 tutor based courses and 6 e-learning courses. The programme has been designed

to reflect our core competencies and is targeted at people with a line management

responsibility. It is designed to be flexible by combining face-to-face delivery and e-learning

with other learning methods and it is anticipated that it should take 18 to 24 months to

complete. During 2017/18, 2 employees within Adult Care and 4 within Children and Families

have completed the Argyll and Bute Manager programme. In March 2017 we changed the

programme, and this is now delivered as 2 separate programmes, Preparing to Manage and

Managing Teams.

Preparing to Manage

The comprehensive Management Development titles Preparing to Manage Programme is

made up of an induction plus 15 core modules which incorporate a variety of learning

methods:

1 tutor based course

14 e-learning courses

The programme has been designed to reflect our core competencies and is targeted at people

preparing for line management responsibility or newly appointed line managers. It is

designed to be flexible by combining face-to-face delivery and e-learning with other learning

methods and it is anticipated that it will take 18 to 24 months to complete. Employees must

undertake all of the modules and also complete a short reflective essay demonstrating how

Preparing to Manage has improved their effectiveness and/or how they have applied their

learning in the workplace.

57

Managing Teams

The Management Development Programme includes a Managing Teams Programme which is

made up of an induction module plus 18 core modules which incorporate a variety of learning

methods:

4 tutor based courses

14 e-learning courses

The programme has been designed to reflect our core competencies and is targeted at people

with a line management responsibility. It is designed to be flexible by combining face-to-face

delivery and e-learning with other learning methods and it is anticipated that it will take 18

to 24 months to complete. Employees must undertake all of the modules and also complete

a short reflective essay demonstrating how Managing Teams has improved their effectiveness

as a manager. We currently have 2 employees within Adult Care undertaking the Preparing

to Manage Programme. We also have 3 employees in Adult Care and 2 within Children and

Families undertaking the Managing Teams programme.

Professional Qualifications

Employees are invited to apply for professional qualifications as agreed by the Social Work

Training Board on an annual basis. The undernoted qualifications were funded in 2017/2018:

Qualification Number of employees funded

K101/DD102 Open University Foundation

Courses

8 employees

OU BA (Hons) Social Work (Scotland) 2 employees

Post Graduate Certificate in Child Welfare

and Protection

2 employees

Professional Development Award in

Practice Learning

2 employees

MHO Award 1 employee

Growing Our Own - OU BA (Hons) Social Work (Scotland)

Within Argyll and Bute there is difficulty recruiting social workers, it is for this reason that a

“growing our own” scheme was developed. Each year the council sponsor two applicants to

undertake the degree in social work. The “growing our own” scheme is an opportunity for

Argyll and Bute to support talented individuals to undertaken their social work qualification.

58

Successful applicants are sponsored through Stages 2, 3 and 4 with a requirement to work for

this authority for a further two years. The course includes two 100 day compulsory social

work placements which require staff to be absent from their present post during this

time. One of the placements is external to Argyll and Bute. Employees are supported by our

own practice teachers during their in-house placement. We currently have 3 employees at

stage 2, 2 employees at stage 3 and 2 employees at stage 4 of the Social Work Degree. We

have just selected another 2 employees to commence stage 2, bringing the total of 7

employees in the programme with the Open University.

Placements

Learning Network West provide us with students to place. We also offer 10/20 day

observational placements and in addition, we hold an annual Learning Awards Ceremony

where people who are undertaking any major training are presented with their certificate to

highlight their achievement. With regard to Mental Health Officer (MHO) training HSCP puts

through a minimum of one qualified Social Workers per annum onto the Mental Health

Officer course which is an essential element of the HSCPs continuing to meet its statutory

obligations.

E-Learning

LEON (Learning Electronically and On-line) is our e-learning system through which employees

can access a wide range of online courses. It is available to all employees giving to access

these courses at a time which is convenient and from any computer with internet access. The

Talent Management team are working towards providing a variety of easily accessible courses

when needed which will give employees the information, knowledge and skills required to do

their job. Employees are able to complete courses which have been sourced to support

employees in all roles within the organisation or that have been custom-built by the team

around our policies and procedures. Our online courses complement our tutor-led training

courses, helping employees to gain new knowledge and refresh on specific topic areas. In

addition Learn-In Bytes provides the ability to test your knowledge through the use of short

assessments

Training

All learning and development requests are based on need as evidenced by job specific

competency requirements, organisational core competency requirements or

team/service/departmental or organisational priorities.

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9. Conclusion

Social Work service staff, including the staff working for our commissioned services should be

proud of the provision of support, care and protection they have provided to our vulnerable

children, young people and adults throughout this past year. As the report has highlighted

we are working in challenging times with many challenges still ahead. The increasing demand

for services combined with rising public expectations in a context of continued financial

constraint will be difficult. The focus will continue to be on ensuring we maintain high

standards of service delivery whilst reviewing and redesigning the way we work to make the

best use of all the available resources so we can continue to support, care for and protect

those in greatest need.

Alex Taylor


September 2018

argyll and bute health and social care partnership chief social …€¦ · • ensuring safe and...

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